Telescoping hydraulic and/or pneumatic cylinders have long been used for the control of various mechanisms, from devices as simple as screen door closures to automobiles and other relatively complex machines. More recently, such telescoping cylinders have been adapted to various types of exercise machines and devices, to supplant weights, springs, etc. commonly used in such devices.
While purely mechanical devices generally provide for ease of adjustment, e.g., by adding or removing weights, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders generally fail to provide adjustment means, unless additional complexity (and cost) is built into the system. Even when such adjustment is provided, the user must generally stop the exercise program and adjust the unit directly, which procedure detracts from a continuous exercise program. Moreover, generally no means is provided for the user to measure or quantify the resistance of such units, as no means for readout is usually provided. This can be a problem particularly for those suffering from injuries or the like, and requiring a strictly controlled exercise program.
The need arises for a hydraulic/pneumatic system adaptable to exercise devices and the like, which system provides for the adjustment of the compression and/or rebound resistance of the telescoping units. The system should preferably provide for remote adjustment, so that a user need not move to the location of the units to make an adjustment thereof. Moreover, the system should provide for the output of the settings and/or resistance of the hydraulic units, thus enabling a user to determine the exact amount of effort being applied in an exercise program, and enabling different users to compare the results of workouts accomplished with an exercise device equipped with the present invention. Finally, the system should be adaptable to a motor vehicle or the like, permitting an operator thereof not only to adjust the units remotely, but also providing a readout of the settings and resistances of the units to the vehicle operator.